Prep Spotlight

Wednesday, August 6, 2014

In 26 years of covering high school basketball, I've seen a lot of great dunkers. For me, the best I've seen in person is Vince Carter. Gerald Henderson, now of the Hornets, and LeBron James were also pretty amazing in high school.

I once saw former Providence High and UNC star Antawn Jamison jump one foot inside the free throw line -- in a game -- and throw one down left-handed (Jamison is a rightie).

But there's a kid playing right now who will give any of them a run for their money.

Fayetteville's Kwe Parker impressed me catching alley-oops from teammate Dennis Smith as a 9th grader when Parker and Smith were teammates at Fayetteville's Trinity Christian High. I've seen Parker make some absolutely silly dunks in warm-ups before Trinity Christian games and I've seen him make a few in games that made you look at your neighbor and shake your head ("Did you see that?").

Smith, a 6-2 junior point guard, has gone onto become one of the nation's top 10 in his class and one of North Carolina's best three players, period. Parker has become one of the most famous players in his class because of his unique jumping ability. A high major Division I recruit, Parker will play at High Point Wesleyan this season, leaving Smith but joining another top national recruit, 6-9 junior Harry Giles.

Here is a new video of Parker dunking (the right-hander nearly touches the rim with his head before tossing in a left-handed tip dunk that would win many a dunk competition).

Friday, June 20, 2014

CHICAGO (June 20, 2014) — In its 29th year of honoring the nation’s best high school athletes, The Gatorade Company, in collaboration with USA TODAY High School Sports, today announced Trentavis Friday of Cherryville High School as its 2013-14 Gatorade North Carolina Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year. Friday is the first Gatorade North Carolina Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year to be chosen from Cherryville High School.

The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the track, distinguishes Friday as North Carolina’s best high school boys track & field athlete. Now a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade National Boys Track & Field Athlete of the Year award to be announced in June, Friday joins an elite alumni association of state award-winners in 12 sports, including Ryan Hall (1999-01, Big Bear HS, Calif.), Meb Keflezighi (1993-94, San Diego HS, Calif.), Derek Jeter (1991-92, Kalamazoo HS, Mich.), Candace Parker (2001-02, Naperville Central HS, Ill.), Mark Sanchez (2004-05, Mission Viejo HS, Calif.) and Lolo Jones (1997-98, Roosevelt HS, Ia.).

The 6-foot-2, 165-pound senior won three individual state championships and anchored the winning 4x400-meter relay quartet at the Class 1A state meet this spring, leading the Ironmen to a second-place finish as a team. Friday took gold in the 100-meter dash with a time of 10.59 seconds, the 200-meter dash in 20.95 and the 400-meter run in 47.87. The New Balance Nationals Indoor champion and the NBN meet indoor record-holder in both the 60 and 200, he also captured the 200-meter crown at this month’s New Balance Nationals Outdoor championships. Friday’s season-bests of 10.17 in the 100 and 20.33 in the 200 both rank as the nation’s No. 1 performances among prep competitors in 2014 at the time of his selection.

Friday has maintained a B average in the classroom. In addition to serving on the Cherryville High school yearbook and school newspaper staffs, he has volunteered locally for two years on behalf of the First Wesleyan Church’s feed-the-homeless initiative. He has also donated his time as part of his school’s morning-announcements team and has worked with special needs students at the Webb Street School.

“He’s worked hard and stayed healthy, and he’s just a special runner,” said Cherryville head coach Keith Fox. “He can do anything. He could go out and run a 1:54 in the 800 if we wanted him to. He put in a lot of time in the offseason, worked in the weight room. We knew he was capable of a season like this.”

Friday has signed a National Letter of Intent to compete in track and field on scholarship at Florida State University this fall.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

NBA star and former Davidson and Charlotte Christian star will hold a
free three-hour instruction session for 50 underprivileged children in
the Concord, Charlotte and Huntersville areas Wednesday June 18 at Cannon School
in Concord.

The free sessions are part of Curry's annual basketball camp that he holds in the Charlotte area. Regular Spotsare still available for the 3rd to 6th grade session, 7th-10th and K-2

Accelerate Basketball, which is helping Curry put on the camp, is still able to work with additional area businesses that want to sponsor underprivileged children who wish to attend camp.

Friday, June 6, 2014

2014 STATE BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES—98th ANNUALall series best of three gamesFIVE COUNTY STADIUM, ZEBULONCLASS 1-A CHAMPIONSHIP: WHITEVILLE (24-5) vs. EAST SURRY (30-0)
Game 1: East Surry 7, Whiteville 4, final
Game 2: Saturday, June 7 at 11 am
Game 3: if necessary, Saturday, June 7 at 5 pmCLASS 3-A CHAMPIONSHIP: HAMPSTEAD TOPSAIL (19-8) vs. MONROE PIEDMONT (21-8)
Game 1: Topsail 5, Piedmont 3, final
Game 2: Saturday, June 7, 2 pm
Game 3: if necessary, Saturday, June 7 at 8 pm (5 pm if no third game in 1-A)UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA AT GREENSBOROCLASS 2-A CHAMPIONSHIP: MIDWAY (25-4) vs. BUNKER HILL (26-5)
Game 1: Midway 10, Bunker Hill 3, final
Game 2: Saturday, June 7, 2 pm
Game 3: if necessary, Saturday, June 7 at 8 pm (5 pm if no third game in 4-A)CLASS 4-A CHAMPIONSHIP: RICHMOND SENIOR (23-7-1) vs. WEST FORSYTH (27-5)
Game 1:West Forsyth 6, Richmond 4, final
Game 2: Saturday, June 7 at 11 am
Game 3: if necessary, Saturday, June 7 at 5 pm

Thursday, June 5, 2014

Gary Gadsden has been promoted to head boys basketball coach at United Faith.

Gadsden had been an assistant under former Charlotte Hornets star Muggsy Bogues for the past three seasons. Bogues resigned last month.

Gadsden inherits a team that reached the N.C. Independent Schools 1A state semifinals. He'll return several starters from that team, including his son, Ty, a 6-foot-2 point guard generally considered among the state's top prospects in the class of 2016.

Ty Gadsden has several Division I scholarship offers, including from the Charlotte 49ers. He was an Observer All-Mecklenburg pick last season.

Saturday, May 31, 2014

Hough High's Courtney Carroll got an unassisted goal with 3 minutes, 33 seconds left of the second sudden death overtime to lift the nationally ranked Huskies to a 1-0 win over previously unbeaten Panther Creek of Cary.

Hough won its second state title in three seasons and its second straight overtime game after beating rival Myers Park in the semifinals Tuesday.

Hough made its third straight N.C. 4A state championship appearance, a record for a Mecklenburg County girls 4A team.